2018 Brabham BT62 runs the Goodwood hillclimb

If you still weren’t convinced that a naturally aspirated V8 engine is one of the best sounds in the world, let the Brabham BT62 change your mind.

In its first public ‘drive’, the BT62 charges (although relatively casually, it seems) up Lord March’s driveway for the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb.

The only times the public has seen the car in action previously was through the medium of video, when Brabham tested the car at Phillip Island, or the spy video we published from The Bend.

With a 5.4-litre dry-sump engine making 522kW/667Nm, and a dry weight of just 972kg thanks to its carbon fibre body, the BT62 is capable of extremely rapid acceleration.

But it appears to be taking a calmer approach at Goodwood, with Brabham Automotive managing director David Brabham at the wheel.

“Giving the BT62 its dynamic public debut and returning the Brabham name, with all of its historical significance and racing pedigree, to Goodwood will be an experience I’ll never forget,” he said prior to the event.

“My father attended the Festival himself many times, and it’s great to continue the tradition of a Brabham driving a Brabham up the hill.”

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The particular livery adorning the car at Goodwood might also look familiar to trainspotters, it’s the same as the one which the infamous BT46B ‘fan car’ wore.

Driven by Niki Lauda, John Watson, and Nelson Piquet, the Alfa Romeo flat 12-powered BT46B helped Lauda achieve 4th place in the 1978 Formula One championship with two race wins up his sleeves.

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